Pioneer BULLITT Assassin 1968 Charger - Home Racing World & Slot Car Garage

Wednesday November 03, 2010

If there is a company in our 1/32nd scale hobby that has really made an impact in the past year, PIONEER is it. The highly successful releases of the Mustangs are still being talked about, but many enthusiasts wondered what would be next. It is no surprise to see the second car in the Steve McQueen BULLITT series being that release. This famous 1968 Dodge Charger has finally hit my doorstep so let us take a quick look at the latest American Iron from Pioneer.

The car is packaged nicely to match the first release. I got a kick out of the back of the sleeve showing the scene in the movie where our Assassins find out where BULLITT went to!

"There he is!"

It also comes with the VDC (Vehicle Data Card) and spare parts under the case bottom. The spare parts are a huge plus in my opinion. Just the fact these are present speak a lot about Pioneer. They not only include chrome parts for those times we get too heavy handed, we have tires as well.

But the extra guide that is a slightly deeper for advanced enthusiasts really impresses me. This may not seem like much, but I can look at models that cost a lot more than this and they give you NOTHING. Kudos to Pioneer in this department.

As I stated in the first review of the BULLITT Mustang, models such as this do not excite everyone. Street versions in 1/32nd scale just do not seem to be as popular as "race" versions. Of course there are enthusiasts that enjoy them and collectors will especially appreciate this offering. And why not? It is not everyday we get an all new American Hot Rod to play with.

Yes, for myself that is an important item. We simply do not see classic American muscle that often in our hobby. Sometimes when we do, the cars are not very close to scale for many discerning enthusiasts. I can safely say this car should satisfy that scale desire.

Hopefully the photos here tell you all you need to know. Personally I think Pioneer nailed this car about as close as you could ask for. The front grill MIGHT be a shade narrow...but that could just be my eyes.

The finish is outstanding here. The clear-coat is about as clean and clear as you are going to get in our hobby. I like the satin finish on the roof to mimic the vinyl roof of the 1:1 car. Small touches like that stand out for me.

Wheels and tires also look the part and appear to be very round and true. You just have to love those whitewalls!

The star (or stars) of the show though is the interior.

The modeling done here of our bad boy assassins is just too cool, right down to the gloves, glasses, and the shotgun!

Looking underneath we see the chassis is very close to the one under the Mustang. This is good as I want these 2 models to be as close in performance as possible.

6 screws mount the body to the chassis and are easily removed. The 2 in the center are for the interior mounts and are slightly different, so don't mix them up ok? The model is also ready for Scalextric digital conversion.

Inside we see our wiring, motor and gearing. I was happy to see the standard Typhoon 18K motor equipped with the same gearing (12 tooth pinion /36 tooth spur gear) as the Mustang. Although various models will always have some performance differences, keeping the motor and gearing standard goes a long way in keeping them as close as possible. Again, I commend Pioneer for this.

One thing you might want to check is the lubrication points on the rear axle bushings. If you do not see them, remove the rear axle and turn the bushings until they face upwards. This hole makes easier for your favorite lube to get where it needs to be.

Box Stock Track Testing
MidMo International Speedway
4 x 16 - 3 Lane MDF Routed Wood - Flat Latex Surface
Copper Tape Conductivity - Aftermarket Power @ 12 Volts PARMA 25 OHM Control

Since our Carrera track is still under construction, we are testing on our good old 3 lane routed track. This car, just like about any other will need some break-in time and a little fine tuning here and there. But out of the box the model did just fine in my eyes for running non-magnet on wood.

Acceleration and braking are very clean and crisp. I like this motor as it just seems to have a great balance of torque and speed. I noticed only a slight wheel hop which is promising because it tells me we have good parts to work with. The only thing I did notice that some will want to fix is the side to side free-play in the rear axle. There is more here than I expected. I asked Pioneer about it and they said they are aware of it and will strive to correct it. Not all models are effected either, so your car might be just fine. No big issue as I have to do this on many other cars and it does not take a great deal of effort.

Another quick tip for this car is tire sanding the fronts. This car sits at a good tripod with the front tires just touching the track, but you can improve it. Just sand the rear tires and swap them to the front and then repeat. This really smoothed out the model here. We had lap times of 4.9 seconds which is just a shade slower than the Mustang, but that is close enough. Besides, some of that is the driver. I will bet many of you will get this car as fast as any pony car on the track.

This is just a flat out fun slot car to drive. I had some great drifting action going on in the corners when the tires got a little dusty. Sort of looked like the car in the video tearing around the corners only I didn't lose the hubcaps!

Final Thoughts

This model completes the 2 car BULLITT series but almost as important is what it might mean in the future. As we saw with the first release of the Mustang, the molds of that car are now some of the hottest selling Trans-Am/Sport cars in our hobby. Perhaps that is the future of this classic MOPAR.

I see no reason for anyone to pass this model up. Even those who do not prefer street cars should get one just to enjoy how well it runs. Tuning and tweaking these cars is half the fun and then when other models start appearing, you will know what to do. Pioneer has once again made a very nice slot car that gives us great value and I think you owe it to yourself to give one a spin.

- Harry

As always feel free to contact me about this article or just the hobby in general at harry@homeracingworld.com, or better yet drop into our Message Forum and share your thoughts with other enthusiasts!

Thanks Go To Pioneer For Providing Us With This Sample!

Check Out The Other PIONEER Reviews Here!